L : Change Your Destiny
by chicadoodle
Summary: So noble, so pure of heart. I wonder, are you really? How boring!  How would it all play out, if you could do it all over again? Would you like to find out? The God of the Shinigami wonders, how would it all play out, if L could do it all again?


Death Note / Yu Yu Hakusho Crossover. Based on the Death Note movies and the Yu Yu Hakusho anime, set after the death of L in L: Change the World and Yusuke's demon transformation.

L : The main character,and the greater living detective. Having written his own name in the Death Note, L died of a heart attack, peacefully in his sleep. However, it is well known among the Shinigami that any who use a Death Note can go to neither heaven nor hell.

Watari : An elderly gentleman often found with L, he takes care of the day to day necessities of the younger man, and seems to fill a subservient role.

Koenma : Son of King Yama, ruler of the spirit world.

Botan : A "Grim Reaper" of the more mundane sort - she ferries the dead of Human World to their final resting place.

Yusuke Urameshi : A young man from Japan with extraordinary spiritual powers, recently discovere dto have dormant demon blood within him - blood that has been recently awakened in his job as a Spirit Detective.

Keiko : The human girlfriend of Yusuke Urameshi.

_**Even the original owners of a Death note, Shinigami, do not know much about the Note.**_

_ So self sacrificing. So noble, so pure of heart. I wonder ... are you really? How boring! How would it all play out, if you could do it all over again? Would you like to find out?_

_ Your world, little mortal, is so interesting if only because it so chaoctic. We Shinigami ... we would never think up half the things you humans do! There is a darkness in you we could not begin to touch, a deceit buried in every heart. Where is yours, I wonder? What would it take to weed it out? You, who would sacrifice your life for a single soul - you, who would destroy not only one Death Note, but two! You intrigue me, if only for that reason alone._

_ But why, I must ask? Why only twenty three days? Did you fear the days leading up to your death, fear the repercussions of using a Death Note, if only on yourself? Or was it the waiting you feared - to be a dead man walking, to know that your end was near ... was that your fear? To live those final days ..._

_ You interest me, little mortal, in the way that few of your kind do, these days. You would be a worthy Shinigami ... not of the sort that inhabit our world today, but the Shinigami of old ... those great and terrible beings that once walked these paths, before the sand and the dust and the decay. Those Shinigami - my greatest of creations ... they were great and terrible beings of mercy, of judgement. Once they looked down upon your world with sadness, with pity, and with a gentle eye to weed out the evil, the wicked. They have become twisted and rotten, the sand that eats away at all slowly stealing their minds, their souls, until ... well, you have met Rem, have you not?_

_ Tell me, little mortal - what sort of Shinigami would YOU make? Shall we find out?_

**Chapter 1 : Awaknenings**

_The Shinigami Realm, Time Unknown_

How long he had existed within the inky blackness of this void, L. Lawliett did not know. Awareness came and went, and it seemed as if years had passed - decades, even. A year was but a moment, a decade a passing fancy.

He had been young when he had died - too young, perhaps. How long would he have persisted, would he have _survived_, had he not written in the Death Note? Had the Death Note never come to Light Yagami ...

He couldn't know. And L had never been one to play at guessing games, to play at what-if's and might-have-beens.

Still, the moments of awareness were few and far between, and the young detective - though some would have found the name 'genius' more fitting than 'detective' - found himself grateful for them, even as he wished they would come less often.

For these moments brought with them confusion, a longing for the life he knew was lost forever. He understood, to a certain extent, what had happened. Where the knowledge had come from, he wasn't sure - but it was there. For one to use the Death Note, neither Heaven nor Hell would take them.

"Awake, little one?" The voice was like sandpaper on a rough surface, and the man once known as L gasped, eyes flying open - had they been close? - to stare the Shinigami who leant over his body, a smalls mirk playing on his small mouth.

It was different from both Rem and Ryuku, but then, what did he know of such creatures? Perhaps all were different, perhaps their wings and great stature were their only unifying characteristics.

Perhaps another might have reeled back in shock in fear, but even if he had never laid eyes upon a Shinigami before, such would not have been his first reaction. Blind panic and fear - these had never been the tools in his arsenal. Still, even _he_ could not help the shock of pain, of terror, that raced through him at the sight of the creature leaning over him.

A low, dry chuckle escaped the creature, before it retreated to a more comfortable distance. "Ah, you _are_ full of surprises, aren't you little one?"

Even as he attempted to sit up, L discovered - to his utmost dismay - that he could not. Whether this was because of his body's own weakness or some other, outside factor, he couldn't be sure, but the final result was the same.

"Ah, you should not worry your little head over it." Another dry chuckle, and quite suddenly L found himself being moved upright through no control of his own, until he was facing the creature upright, and he got his first good look at his surroundings.

Darkness. It was everywhere, inky black and all encompassing. How he could see the creature before him he wasn't sure, as it should have blended with the darkness around it quite completely. Still, the grin upon it's gruesome face was clearly visible, and L couldn't help the shiver of fear that ran up his spine at the sight.

He wasn't easily frightened, and never had been. His mind was always working, always calculating, and even in the most horrific of circumstances reason and logic would not be silent. The fact that Shinigami were not a particularly _new_ concept to begin with helped things tremendously, of course.

"And such a pretty little head it is, too." The creature - _Shinigami_, L reminded himself - commented, cackling. had he been alive still - and not had quite so good a grasp over his bodily reactions - L might have blushed hotly at that comment, but as it was his eyes widened slightly, his gaze riveted upon the creature before him, even more so than before.

Of all the things to regain consciousness to ...

"Tell me, my little detective ... do you know where you are?"

At L's continued silence, the creature frowned, making an odd noise in the back of it's throat, spearing the young man with a piercing gaze.

"Limbo?" L finally hazarded a guess as the silence continued to stretch on. The Shinigami made a small sound of pleasure, seemingly pleased with that answer.

"That is one word for it, I suppose. I rather like it. Yes, _Limbo_, are you so eloquently put it. Heaven didn't want you - I wonder, was Hell afraid you would take it over?" The Shinigami seemed to find this particularly funny, as it devolved into a series of increasingly mad cackling yet again, and L found himself wondering if a Shinigami could go insane.

Before his mind could delve too deeply into ruminations on the psyche of a Shinigami, however, the one before him seemed to calm somewhat, sightless gaze once again turning on L.

"One who has made use of a Death Note may go to neither heaven nor hell - it's all right there in the rules." It seemed for a moment that the Shinigami might once again descend into a fit of mad laughter, but it continued speaking after only a slight pause. "I don't suppose the esteemable King Yama wanted one who would use the Death Note, who would bind themselves to one of my Children ..."

Warning bells were sounding in L's mind, warnings that had little to do with the Shinigami as a whole. No, this was _entirely _different.

"Ah, catching on, are you little mortal?" Perhaps it was only L's imagination, but the creature's smile seemed somewhat more _sinister_ now. "They call me 'Old Man', did you know? No respect for their elders." The creature sniffed, head inching upwards ever so slightly, for all the world appearing like any number of old men complaining about the young. "But ah, can you blame them? I suppose I bring it on myself ..."

For a moment, it seemed the creature would lapse into silence, lost in his thoughts, but he gave himself a small shake and turned his sightless gaze upon L once again. "But you ... you may call me Enma." Again, that sense of humor, of a joke, even as L couldn't quite grasp how so simple a name could be ...

Oh. Wait. Enma. A god of the Buddhist - or was it Hindu? - religion, said to judge the dead. It was fitting, L supposed.

"Ryuku ..." L's attention was immediately caught by _that_ name - one of the few names he could never forget. "He was bored, did you know? That was his excuse, for all that _lovely_ havoc he created in your world. Boy always _did_ know how to cause a scene ..." Enma sighed, and it was clear that he was _highly_ pleased with Ryuku's performance.

"But that was then. And this is now. And I find my own boredom has returned." Again that sightless gaze seemed to rip through him, and L found himself shivering under the strength of it, even as anger welled up in him. _Boredom? _That was what this had all been about? That was the reason for _all of it_? One Shinigami had been bored, so dozens - hundreds - of people had to _die_ - just to satisfy one Shinigami's boredom?

"But don't fret!" And for one inane moment, L couldn't help but think that Enma, god of the Shinigami, sounded far too much like a mortal salesman. "Ryuku is reckless, thoughtless, and rarely plans ahead. I am fairly certain he doesn't know _how_." Fond exasperation now, as Enma shook his head.

"And though his antics did provide a pleasant distraction ... tell me, L. You, who would sacrifice your life for another, you of the pure heart and intentions ... I wonder. Would you be quite so pure if given a second chance?"

**Chapter 2 : Meetings**

_Japan, 3 Week After the Appearance of Kira_

They didn't like to talk about it, the Shinigami realm. Always there had been three - the Demon, Human, and Spirit Worlds. And many believed that these three were all there was ... but Koenma knew better. As the son of King Yama, how could he not be aware of these creatures?

They kept to themselves, for the most part, their interactions with the human realm few and far between. The spirit realm - his realm - they avoided completely, so far as the records claimed. And the young prince had no reason to question these records.

Still, he had never met a Shinigami - not personally, at any rate. Botan and her ilk spoke of them in hushed whispers, fear evident in their every moment. They dared not even speak the name, for fear it would bring one such as this down upon them.

One such as the Shinigami who stood before him.

That the Shinigami had not approached his father was a surprise to Koenma, a question that, he had the sinking suspicion, he would not be receiving the answer to any time soon. Why him? Why now? He, who had fallen out of his father's favor with his decision to side with Yusuke, the half-blood demon who would dare to defy his father, King Yama ...

Held int he Shinigami's arms lay a human man - a strange sight, the young man's body frail in comparison to the great, clawed hands. Dark hair, lashes dark against pale, sunken cheeks. He was a handsome youth, though starvation had taken hold of his body. "He's dead ..."

Botan's fearful whisper broke the heavy silence that had descended over the strange gathering, as suddenly as the Shinigami had appeared among them. Koenma jerked as though he had been slapped, before stepping forward but a pace, eyes movingfrom the still form in the Shinigami's arms to the Shinigami itself.

He was an impressive creature, all dark wings and claws,, sunken holes were eyes might once have rested. Or perhaps not - little was known about the physiology of a Shinigami, and little else about their history.

Still, Koenma found his eyes straying back to the figure held so carefully in the creature's arms, glancing down at the seemingly frail body once before his gaze once again met the Shinigami's.

The great creature bowed low, one knee ouching the ground as he laid the body upon the ground carefully, almost reverently, head bowed for but a fraction of a moment before it once again rose, great wings stretching out before it took to the skies.

Koenma stared at the retreating form in shock, considering and then quickly discarding the idea of taking off after the creature himself, or even of sending another after it. Botan's fear would still her hand, he knew.

"Koenma, what -? The boy. He's ..." Botan paused in whatever she was about to say, as a low moan escaped the, until now, still figure on the ground. The dark head rolled to the side, long lashes fluttering as another pitiful whimper escaped his lips, and Botan gasped, hands flying to her lips as she rushed to kneel at the young man's side.

"Botan -" Koenma paused, unsure why he was so hesitant to approach the young man. He didn't seemt o post any sort of immediate danger, but then again, he **had** arrived with a Shinigami - such a dark and terrible creature, and yet it had handled this young man with the utmost of care and reverence.

"I don't understand, Koenma. I mean ... I was so sure he was dead. I could feel no life from him, and yet ... it is clear as day **now**." Cnfusion coloured Botan's words, even as she rested a slim hand upon the young man's head.

"We should get him to a healer." Koenma said instead, eyes travelling over the prone form in search of ... what? What, exactly, did he expect to find? Some sort of incriminating evidence, some sign of evil intent? No, the boy was as mundane as they came, without the presence of a Shinigami. Normal, human ... harmless, really.

"A doctor, perhaps." Koenma rose one eyebrow at the blue-haired Reaper, nodding his head once toward the young man. "Human, Botan. I doubt he required ..."

"_Shinigami_, Keonma." Botan cut him off curtly, and Koenma winced. Yes, there was that little fact. Human or not, this young man had been in the company of a Shinigami ... and that alone set him apart from his peers.

Moving, Koenma knelt to help the smaller woman to lift the young man, frowning as he stare down at the handsome features.

Why had he insisted the young man be brought to a human medical establishment? Botan had not understood his reasoning - at least not the one he had given her - Koenma knew. The truth of the matter was, he had been interested to see _who would come for the boy_.

Not, not a boy. Young man. He was a fully grown man, not a boy, not a child. Honestly, Koenma was not accustomed to dealing with grown humans - at least not on a regular basis. Yusuke and those he surrounded himself with ... they were younger. Even Kurama was, for all intents and purposes, still a boy, if only in body. But no, this was a man, though still a bit young.

Then again, it was hard to find a person _not_ younger than he, and Koenma was keenly aware of that difference. Hundreds of years he had seen, and yet he was barely out of puberty himself.

Not something he generally thought about, honestly.

But this young man ... who would come for him? Koenma had been _most_ interested to see that, and so he had taken a chance - a chance that the man's injuries were not so life threatening - nor so odd - that they could not be cured by an establishment such as this.

He certainly hadn't expected this, however.

The gentleman was old - his first thought was a grandfather, perhaps even a father if the young man had been born late enough into the older man's life. But the almost _subservient_ manner in which the man acted quickly erased any such thoughts from Koenma's mind.

Koenma remained in his seat for a moment, watching the older man hover over the younger, hands inches from his body, as though afraid he would crack and break at the slightest of touches.

Standing, Koenma announced his presence with a clearing of his throat, only to frown when the man didn't so much as twitch. "You found him, yes?" The old man spoke after a moment, moving to take the other seat. "They said you brought him in - you, and a young woman." Tired eyes moved to meet his, and Koenma was struck by just how exhausted the older man appeared.

"I- yes. I brought him in." Koenma considered speaking of the Shinigami, just for a moment, but dismissed the idea almost immediately. This man .. he was just as human as he appeared on the outside, of that Koenma was certain. "I .. found him." Koenma added after a moment, frowning as he turned his gaze on the young man in the bed.

"Where was he?" The old man stood to divest himself of his jacket, laying it carefully on the arm of his chair before once again taking his seat, and Koenma was struck yet again by the gentle air about the man. It was rare he met one such as this - so calm, so collected. No, his days were filled with those such as Yusuke Urameshi - quick to anger, quick to judgement.

"In the middle of the street." Koenma hastened to answer elderly man's question, eyes casting back over to the still figure of the young man, seemingly dead to the world. "It was late." He added lamely, and the man simply nodded, though a frown pulled at his lips.

"Thank you for your assistance." The man finally turned away from his inspection of his young charge to meet Koenma's gaze straight on. "But please, this is a private affair."

Koenma nodded, accepting that for the dismissal it was.

He had other ways to keep an eye on the young man, after all.

_Author's Note_ - The original idea for this story didn't necessarily have anything to do with Yu Yu Hakusho, but was instead a purely Death Note fanfiction. However, as I started writing, the Yu Yu Hakusho character just sort of ... _inserted_ themselves without my prior knowledge. It just sort of ... _happened_. It seems to be turning out rather good, however, and the original idea certainly allows for the entrance of the Yu Yu Hakusho fandom, so ... there you have it! A crossover! Enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to **feed the author**! The Review button is your friend :)

And for those of you who might be interested, I got my information on the name Enma from wikipedia. Just look up Shinigami and you'll get it.


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